Approved Encryption Methods for UT Austin Portable Devices

The Information Secure Office (ISO) has approved several methods of complying with policy for encrypting sensitive data on portable devices. The preferred method of accomplishing this is using WinMagic SecureDoc, the enterprise whole disk encryption product available through ITS.

The ISO strongly believes that the following features are important in an encryption product:

Industry-standard, well-tested encryption algorithms.

Encryption key escrow/recovery in case the keys are lost, forgotten, or otherwise unavailable to a department.

Support for multiple platforms, especially Windows and Mac (both of which currently make up the majority of portable devices on campus).

The ability to demonstrate the device was encrypted in the event it is lost or stolen, in order to better comply with the Texas Identity Theft Protection and Enforcement Act and other related laws.

SecureDoc best satisfies all of these requirements. There may, however, be cases where it is not possible to use SecureDoc. In such instances, end-users, in consultation with their local IT support staff, can choose from another approved solution. For products that do not support their own method of escrow/recovery, the ISO recommends the use of Stache.